1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of fishing and, more particularly, to fishing with a rod and reel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In both sport and commercial fishing, use of a rod and reel is quite often the method of choice. The conventional fishing rod has a mounting for a reel at a proximal end and a series of line guides affixed to the rod along a straight line from the proximal to the distal end. The line guides are rigidly fixed to the shaft of the rod, and provide eyelets through which fishing line passes to provide an angler using the rod with leverage in controlling the point at which the line departs from the rod. In addition, the rod is typically flexible, allowing tension in the line to be absorbed by the bending of the rod to decrease the potential for the line to snap upon a quick pull on the line by a hooked fish.
To help ensure smooth control of the line within the line guides, most rods are designed to flex toward the direction in which the line guides project from the shaft of the rod. Thus, as the rod bends under line tension, the line approximates an arc which is defined by the points of contact between the line and the line guides. The force between the line and the rod is therefore distributed between the line guides.
In practice, maintaining the appropriate distribution of force between the line guides requires that the angler rotate the rod such that the line guides approximately face the location of the fish which is pulling on the line. If the rod is not rotated to face the fish, the force on the rod is not in the direction faced by the line guides, and the rod is forced to bend away from its designed direction of flexibility. As such, the distribution of force on the line guides is uneven, and a localized region of the force between the line and the rod develops which could result in breakage of the line. Furthermore, the uneven distribution makes it more difficult for the angler to control the rod, and therefore to control the landing of the fish.
While the ability of the angler to rotate the rod reduces the occurrence of forces on the rod away from its intended direction of flexibility, the necessity of the angler to control the reel, which is rigidly affixed to the rod, limits the amount of rotation which is available before adequate control of the reel is lost. In addition, it is often the case that the angler is provided with a limited range of space within which to move his body and the angle of the rod. This creates a situation in which compensating rotation of the rod may be difficult or impossible. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a fishing rod which is less dependent on the orientation of the rod to provide appropriate distribution of force between the rod and the line.